Kuriwa, a female genital mutilation (FGM) survivor and advocate, has recounted a harrowing experience in her life, revealing that she never experienced sexual pleasure until her clitoris, which was cut off during childhood, was repaired.

Speaking to media personality Serwaa Amihere, Kuriwa explained that the repair of her clitoris later enabled her to experience orgasm during sex for the first time.

According to Kuriwa, she underwent the procedure after she began advocating against FGM and speaking publicly about her experience.

She said authorities reached out to her and offered to repair her clitoris to determine whether it was possible for the organ to be restored and for her to experience sexual pleasure.

“I wanted to experience it and it’s the authorities that did that for me when I came out speaking against it. They wanted to check and see if there’ll be possibility that they can repair it. So mine was fixed. And I can tell you the first time I had my orgasm, oh God, I said I was really losing a lot,” she stated.

She disclosed that the procedure was done in 2014, a year before she got married.

“That was 2014 that they repaired it and I married in 2015,” she said.

When asked whether there had been a significant difference in her sexual experience after the repair, compared to before, Kuriwa said there had been a huge difference.

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“There’s been a huge difference. Even though you wouldn’t get it fully, at least it would take the man some time to get you there,” she explained.

Kuriwa also explained what she meant when she said that FGM affected her ability to satisfy her partner.

She said that before the repair, her body would not respond normally to sexual touch, even when she was touched by a significant partner.

The survivor said she would cry whenever she was about to have sex because she did not enjoy it and felt as though the man was disturbing her.

“If a man touches you, you should react but here is the case, you’re more than a paper. You don’t feel anything rather than things. You do everything but you don’t feel. What you feel is pain. Nothing but pain.

“So it used to make me feel like, okay, it’s better I don’t have sex. Whenever I’m about to have sex, I used to cry inside me, ‘Oh this man is coming to disturb me again.’ So I used not to have sex. I don’t like it at all. Immediately, you said we’re going to have sex. I start crying within me,” she added.

Kuriwa further disclosed that her experience with FGM also influenced how she delivered her children, saying she underwent Caesarean section (CS) for all of them.

Asked whether she had been told that her condition could affect her chances of giving birth naturally, she responded:

“Yes. I did CS for all my kids.”

Explaining why she was advised against natural childbirth, Kuriwa said she was told that the procedure was the safest option when she was preparing to give birth to her first child.

“You know, the clitoris play a huge role when you are to give birth. So when I was to give birth to my firstborn, I was told the only thing that can help is CS. I’m supposed not to push. And because they repaired my clitoris as well, they didn’t want to take the chances. But normally, if you are to give birth, I think the safest part is the CS,” she added.



AK/AM